i ride a torker w/ 127mm cranks and i tryed a dx w/ 140 mm cranks and i couldnt feel the difference, then i rode a koxx-one w/ 140s and i felt like i was gonna swallow my knees they were so long. and i rode a ooooold kh(orange) and i cant feel the difference(dont know what length) and my sun is the same as the k-1.
my conclusion is that the q-factor on some long ones takes away some length but w/ no q, they are longer.
whats up with that?
Im not sure what you mean (im not the sciency type guy)but a high q-factor does take some of the speed away
Maybe the torker dx had a higher seat…there fore you wouldnt have felt like the cranks were longer. And maybe the oxx one seat was low so it felt like it was alot longer cranks.
Small changes of crank length have a similar effect to changing gear on a bicycle. For general riding, any sort of middle-sized gear will do. Whatever you’re used to feels “normal”. Any small change soon feels “normal”.
Very long cranks can be unwieldy. I find 170s hard work - especially if my seat is a bit low.
Very short cranks can be tricky in certain conditions. I can ride my 700c (28) on 89s easily enough, but I am very aware that 102s or 110s give better control on anyhting but a perfectly flat surface.
But in the in-betweeny sizes (125 ish to 150 ish) the differences are little more than preference and emphasis.
The DX doesn’t come with 140mm cranks.
20" DX cranks = 5 in. (127mm)
24" DX cranks = 6 in. (152mm)